Around 39 Palestinian detainees have been released from Israeli prisons in exchange for a group of hostages held by Hamas.
These prisoners were accused of a range of offences from throwing stones to attempted murder. Some were convicted while others were awaiting trial. So who are the Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel?
The group of 39 prisoners included 24 women and 15 teenage boys. They were released across the Beituniya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. The detainees were chosen from a list of 300 women and minors compiled by Israel.
Most of those listed are teenage boys – 40% of them under the age of 18. There is also one teenage girl and 32 women. Groups of Palestinian men and boys faced the Israeli army lining up on the road ahead.
Upon the prisoners’ release, the bus that transported them inched its way through a sea of jubilant Palestinian supporters. Thirteen Israeli hostages were released by Hamas under the truce deal. The Thai prime minister says that a group of Thai nationals held hostage by Hamas in Gaza were also released – separate from the Qatar-mediated truce deal.
The agreement should see a total of 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails released and a significant increase in humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza. Hamas took more than 200 hostages during a cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October in which 1,200 people were killed.
